Will Smith has apologised for slapping Oscars presenter Chris Rock on Sunday.

Smith termed his behaviour “unacceptable and inexcusable” in an Instagram post on Monday afternoon.

“Jokes at my expense are a part of the job, but a joke about Jada’s medical condition was too much for me to bear and I reacted emotionally,” he wrote. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong. I am embarrassed and my actions were not indicative of the man I want to be. There is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

Smith also stated in his post that, “Violence in all forms is poisonous and destructive.”

Also read: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock: All that happened and Academy’s response

He also apologised to “the Academy, the producers of the show, all the attendees and everyone watching around the world,” as well as the families of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams and those involved with the film for which he won best actor on Sunday.

“I deeply regret that my behavior has stained what has been an otherwise gorgeous journey for all of us,” he wrote. “I am a work in progress.”

When Smith stormed the stage and punched comedian Chris Rock in the face on Sunday, he disrupted the tone of an otherwise upbeat Oscars ceremony.

Also read: Oscars 2022: Could Will Smith’s slap cost him the golden statuette?

Rock cracked a joke when presenting the prize for best documentary.

Rock cracked a joke when presenting the prize for best documentary, saying, “Jada I love you, ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”

The camera pans to an unimpressed Pinkett Smith, who has been vocal about her battle with alopecia, an autoimmune illness that causes hair loss.

“That was a nice one,” Rock replied, seemingly in response to the joke’s failure to go over well.

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Rock then laughed as Smith approached him on stage and slapped him across the face.

Reportedly, Smith said twice during the incident, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f***ing mouth!”

“Oh, wow,” said Rock in response.

Also read: Oscars 2022: Will Smith condemned by Academy for slapping Chris Rock, investigation underway

Censors suppressed the spoken portion of Rock and Smith’s exchange for home viewers.

The theatre fell silent, and Rock exclaimed, “That was the greatest night in the history of television.”